NS, Operation Lifesaver team up on Georgia safety train

The Peach State Whistle-Stop Safety Train this week starts a 327-mile tour from the heart of South Georgia to the city of Dalton, calling attention to safety and trespasser awareness.

The train, stopping in nine cities from Valdosta to Dalton in three days, is operated by Norfolk Southern and Operation Lifesaver to raise public awareness about being safe and alert around railroad property and grade crossings.

The whistle-stop safety train begins June 3, the sixth annual observance of International Level Crossing Awareness Day, at Valdosta, traveling to Warner Robins with a stopover at Tifton. June 4, the train departs Macon for Jonesboro, with a stop at Barnesville. On June 5, the train travels from Atlanta to Dalton, stopping at Rockmart.

Invited passengers include state, county and municipal elected leaders, state and local transportation officials, law enforcement officers and emergency responders, school transportation directors, trucking officials, media and others who have a vested interest in public safety.

"Our goal is to save lives," said William Miller, Norfolk Southern manager grade crossing safety. "Car-train crashes and casualties caused by trespassing on railroad property are preventable and we want to remind Georgians to be safe around grade crossings and other railroad property."

In 2013, 96 vehicle-train collisions in Georgia resulted in 13 fatalities and 63 injuries. Fifteen people died and 21 people suffered serious injuries while trespassing on railroad property. Nationally, 1,193 people died or were injured seriously in grade crossing incidents and 908 were killed or injured while walking on or near railroad tracks.

"Georgia historically ranks in the top 10 states nationally for vehicle-train collisions and trespass incidents because of the high volume of train and vehicular traffic and the large number of crossings, nearly 8,000," said Jennie Glasgow, Operation Lifesaver state coordinator. "The state has one of the most extensive freight rail networks in the U.S., with 5,000 miles of track. It is imperative that we remind citizens continuously of the inherent dangers of trying to beat a train at a crossing or otherwise trespassing by taking shortcuts on railroad tracks."

The safety is outfitted with television monitors showing a live video feed from a camera mounted on the lead locomotive. Passengers see firsthand what engineers see every day from locomotives pulling thousands of tons of freight.